For Immediate Release
July 23, 2008
Elsah, Illinois

Early Tuesday afternoon, Principia College thrilled spectators and competitors alike by finishing second in the 2008 North American Solar Challenge (NASC2008). NASC2008 was a competition to design, build, and drive solar-powered cars in a cross-country time/distance rally event. Fifteen teams completed the grueling ten-day, 2400-mile drive from Dallas, Texas, to Calgary, Alberta.

Ra VII, the solar car built and raced by Principia College, won second place behind University of Michigan. By far the smallest school participating, Principia College placed ahead of major institutions with graduate and engineering programs, including University of Minnesota, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Northwestern University, Iowa State University, University of Arizona, and Oregon State University. "We were quite impressed that Principia won second place even though they don't have an engineering school," said Steve Adams, whose son raced for Michigan in the 2005 NASC. "For a team with limited resources, they are doing very well against some big, well-financed teams. Michigan's team got over $2 million in donations for their car."

A small liberal-arts college of approximately 500 students, Principia is located on the bluffs of the Mississippi River in Elsah, Illinois, and is unique as the only college in the world solely for Christian Scientists. Students on Principia’s solar car team come from every field of study, including nearly every major in both the liberal arts and the sciences. While Principia does not have a self-contained engineering department, it offers an engineering degree through joint programs with other universities.

Since 2001, Principia College has been "raycing" in solar challenges across the globe, participating in events in the United States, Australia, Greece, China, and recently, Taiwan. Remarkably, Principia College solar cars have placed in the top ten in every race in which they have participated.

The College has built seven solar cars (Ra I–VII) from scratch, using donated funds and materials from private individuals and corporate sponsors. The team chose to name its cars Ra after the Egyptian sun god. Building on both successes and failures, each version of Ra has improved, and the program has gained international stature including national news coverage on CNN and the National Geographic Channel.

At the NASC2008 Awards Ceremony today, Principia won its fourth Safety Award and the Award for Engineering Excellence in its array. Although the Principia team used surplus solar cells rejected by University of Michigan, their array generated 10 percent more energy over the course of the race, according to data measured by NASC2008 race official Steve Rummel. Rummell is an employee of National Renewable Energy Lab.

"There is an element of collegial competition, and we're very excited to have done so well in NASC2008, but the teams all help each other," said Principia professor and team advisor Steve Shedd. "For the first time, we placed in front of the University of Minnesota, but we couldn't have finished without technical help from their team. That keeps us humble."

Learn more about the Principia College solar car program please contact — Special Events Coordinator, tim.booth@principia.edu

Media Coverage

St. Louis Post Dispatch
CNN
Alton Telegraph